Time Motion Analysis and Physiological Profile of Canadian World Cup Wheelchair Basketball Players

Development, construct validity and test–retest reliability of a field-based wheelchair mobility performance test for wheelchair basketball

“…Key determinants of mobility performance are the abilities of the athlete to accelerate, sprint, brake and turn with the wheelchair (de Witte, Hoozemans, Berger, Veeger, & van der Woude, 2016;Mason, Porcellato, van der Woude, & Goosey-Tolfrey, 2010). The actual mobility performance in wheelchair court sports should be assessed during a match, preferably by systematic (video) observation combined with the use of (inertial) sensors (Bloxham, Bell, Bhambhani, & Steadward, 2001;de Witte et al, 2016;Rhodes, Mason, Perrat, Smith, & Goosey-Tolfrey, 2014; Van der Slikke, Berger, Bregman, & Veeger, 2015). These observations and measurements during wheelchair basketball result in, for example, findings that players move across the field with light or no arm strokes for 24% (SD 7) of the time (Bloxham et al, 2001) and that national standard players drive relatively more forward, while international standard players perform more rotational movements during a match (de Witte et al, 2016).…”

“…The actual mobility performance in wheelchair court sports should be assessed during a match, preferably by systematic (video) observation combined with the use of (inertial) sensors (Bloxham, Bell, Bhambhani, & Steadward, 2001;de Witte et al, 2016;Rhodes, Mason, Perrat, Smith, & Goosey-Tolfrey, 2014; Van der Slikke, Berger, Bregman, & Veeger, 2015). These observations and measurements during wheelchair basketball result in, for example, findings that players move across the field with light or no arm strokes for 24% (SD 7) of the time (Bloxham et al, 2001) and that national standard players drive relatively more forward, while international standard players perform more rotational movements during a match (de Witte et al, 2016). Assessing mobility performance is a fundamental requirement for trainers and coaches to, for example, develop training schemes, to discuss and improve the athlete's level of performance, to detect strength and weaknesses of mobility performance and to develop optimal wheelchair configurations.…”

Effects of Offense, Defense, and Ball Possession on Mobility Performance in Wheelchair Basketball

“…Propulsive actions were classified as positive accelerations and negative accelerations were considered indicative of braking activity. Bloxham et al (2001) The studies above showed differences in mobility performance between players in general, but important aspects like functional classification, game related aspects and field position are not taken into account. All players are awarded from 1 (minimal functional potential) to 4.5 points (maximal functional potential) on an ordinal functional level scale.…”

“…The physical properties and capabilities of an athlete, often measured with indicators such as heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate, determine the physical performance (Bloxham et al, 2001). Finally, what the athlete does (or can do) with a wheelchair can be referred to, as mobility performance (Mason et al, 2012a).…”

“…Regarding mobility performance during wheelchair basketball games, research is very limited (Bloxham et al, 2001;Coutts, 1992;de Witte et al, 2016). Based on a 6 minute exhibition game, Coutts (1992) estimated that 64% of the time was spent in propulsive actions and 36% in braking activity.…”